SALINAS >> The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report Point-in-Time Estimates released Friday found that 770,000 people experienced homelessness in the country, up 18% from the previous year. That’s similar to Monterey County’s 2024 Point-in-Time Count, a community-wide effort conducted on Jan. 31, that found 2,436 people locally were experiencing homelessness, increasing 19% from 2022, the last time a count was taken in the county.

The local count and survey occurs every two years, usually within the last 10 days of January, and is a biennial snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing, and unsheltered settings.

Through targeted funding and interventions that utilize evidence-based practices, according to the HUD report, homelessness among veterans dropped to the lowest number on record. There was a nearly 8% decrease — from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024 — in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness. In Monterey County, the total number of veterans experiencing homelessness dropped 5.19% from 154 in 2022 to 146 in 2024.

“While this data is nearly a year old, and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness,” said HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman, in a press release. “We know what works and our success in reducing veteran homelessness by 55.2% since 2010 shows that.”

Veterans Transition Center Executive Director Kurt Schake said the VTC is “working very hard with its partners to mitigate veteran homelessness.” He added that homeless vets are at an advantage because of the resources available on the national level to those who have served their country.

Nationally among unsheltered veterans, the number dropped nearly 11% — from 15,507 in 2023 to 13,851 in 2024. This year, HUD has helped connect nearly 90,000 veteran households to stable, rental homes through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, said the report from HUD. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has permanently housed 47,925 veterans experiencing homelessness in FY2024 — marking the largest number of veterans housed in a single year since FY 2019.

Schake said the challenge organizations such as the VTC face is in outreach to veterans who are not used to asking for help.

But in the next couple of years, Schake believes things will continue to get better for the local homeless veteran population because of projects such as Lightfighter Village in Marina. The joint venture of the VTC and EAH Housing is opening in January and will provide a 71-unit complex to house homeless veterans in perpetuity, with no transitional requirements, while they continue to receive case management and access to support services.

Schake said federal programs have existed for a long time and now with the state’s Proposition 1, Behavioral Health Initiative, passed by voters in March 2024.

Under the Biden administration, HUD will award $39.8 million through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program to provide rental assistance and supportive services to combat veteran homelessness.

The Monterey County Homelessness Point-in-Time Count and Survey results were released in September and reflected the end of shelter programs and eviction moratoriums implemented during the pandemic, along with the county’s continued rise in housing costs exacerbated by an ever-present lack of affordable housing and constricted availability.

In Monterey County, the median single-family home cost $930,000 and sold in 24 days for 99% of the list price based on 133 sales in November 2024, according to MLSListings, and the 2022 median household income in Monterey County stood at $91,043, according to DataUSA.

The primary cause of a person’s inability to obtain or retain housing can be difficult to pinpoint, as it is often the result of multiple compounding causes, says the Monterey County report. An inability to secure adequate housing can also lead to an inability to address or obtain other basic needs, such as health care and adequate nutrition.

Sixty-one percent of survey respondents self-reported financial issues (job loss, eviction, etc.) as the primary cause of their homelessness, an increase in economic related causes from previous years. Forty-four percent cited alcohol or drug use, 27% cited legal issues, 25% cited incarceration, and 25% cited a divorce, separation, or break-up.

Many individuals experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to obtaining permanent housing. These barriers can range from housing affordability and availability to accessing the economic and social supports (e.g., increased income, rental assistance, and case management) needed to secure and maintain permanent housing, according to the report. When asked what prevented them from obtaining housing, the most common response was “can’t afford rent,” reported by 79% of survey respondents, suggesting housing affordability and poverty issues as key obstacles. This was followed by 60% who reported a lack of job or not enough income, and 34% who said they had no money for moving costs. Survey respondents were asked if they have received a housing voucher of any kind in the last 12 months, 6% of all respondents revealed they had.

The majority — 77% — of individuals experiencing homelessness in Monterey County were unsheltered, sleeping on the streets, in abandoned buildings, vehicles, and encampment areas and in other places deemed unfit for human habitation, according to the Monterey County 2024 Homelessness Point-In-Time Count. The remaining 23% of the population resided in shelters, either emergency shelters or transitional housing. Permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing programs data are not included in the data reporting per HUD.

But of the jurisdictions in Monterey County, the city of Marina saw the largest decrease of 54% from 2022 to 2024, according to the county’s Point-in-Time report and survey.

“First of all, there is nothing more important, humanity-wise, than helping those at risk,” said Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado. “Unhoused and unsheltered persons in Marina are the most at risk.”

Delgado said that the 54% drop can fluctuate but believes numbers in the city’s Housing Element Update and the Point-in-Time census “were almost identical.”

The transitional housing programs and affordable housing providers in Marina are to thank, he said.

“Terracina Homes has opened 93 new affordable units and another 49 — a total of 142 — are coming available soon,” said Delgado.

He cited Marina’s churches, the Monterey County Food Bank and the city’s police department which work closely to store supplies for the unhoused and deliver food, jackets, sleeping bags, tents, etc. to them and provide access to information should they want help.

Delgado said that since at least the second half of 2020, the city’s practice of cleaning up abandoned outdoor camps and engaging personally with every unhoused person encountered probably helps the unhoused learn about the many transitional housing locations in Marina and services in Salinas, Seaside, and other locations.

On Jan. 29, HUD awarded $3.16 billion in homelessness assistance funding to communities nationwide through the Continuum of Care program.

In Fiscal Year 2023, the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance in Monterey and San Benito counties received more than $7 million in funding.